With many catheters, the irrigating fluid preferably is a liquid. Such an irrigating catheter is disclosed in the European patent 0 175 096, the U.S. equivalent of which is U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,672. A liquid is supplied with a pressure of up to 30 bar to the transporting lumen of this irrigating catheter. In the region of the nozzle, the liquid still has a pressure of 5 to 20 bar. The nozzle is formed in a section of the transporting lumen, which protrudes tongue-like, axially removed, above the inlet of the discharging lumen. Under the action of the jet of liquid emerging from the nozzle, solids can be broken up or deposits dissolved in a patient's organ or body cavity. Under the action of a negative pressure in the suction duct, which is connected to a source of suction, the debris is drawn into this suction duct. The transport into and through the suction duct is supported by the jets of liquid emerging from the nozzle as well as from further openings of the transporting lumen. The nozzle can be axially displaceable so that its distance from the inlet of the discharging lumen can be adapted to the size of the solid that is to be discharged from the organ. A similar irrigating catheter, in which, however, the nozzle of the transporting lumen has the shape of a hook that is bent in the direction of the inlet, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,902,418.
It is an object of the invention to provide an irrigating catheter constructed such that deposits, tumors and foreign material can be removed and transported from body organs and hollow body cavities, such as arteries, veins, cavities of the heart, cavities of the nose, bronchia, bladders, etc. of man and animals without damaging vascular walls and tissues during the comminution and transporting away of the material.
It is another object that the catheter be capable of aspirating mucus and foreign material from the tracheobronchial tree and removing and transporting away deposits and thrombi from blood vessels.
It is a further object that the irrigating catheter exhibit a high degree of operational safety, is easy to handle and has a low production price, so that it is also suitable as a disposable article.